Medical experts warned people to take measures to protect
themselves against flu as parts of
North
China were hit by the highest temperatures in 40 years
yesterday.
But they reported no signs of an influenza epidemic had been
detected despite scores of people attending hospital suffering from
colds.
Medical chiefs at Beijing hospitals said these patients made up
almost all of those seeking treatment in the past few days.
Dong Zhenying, vice-director of the Epidemics Department of Beijing
Municipal Station of Health and Epidemic Prevention, said flu
symptoms were similar to those of colds.
Doctors usually cannot tell colds from flu until they have
undertaken a virus check-up, Dong said.
They regard different symptoms as targets when they treat patients
that get upper respiratory tract problems.
A
large-scale flu outbreak last occurred in Beijing in 1998, when at
least 1 million people -- 10 percent of its population -- caught
flu between November to January that winter, according to official
statistics.
Beijing residents are asked to pay extra attention to the disease
as experts with the Beijing Meteorological Observatory said the
city air will remain dry, which raises the chance for getting
respiratory problems such as flu.
They said the temperature in Beijing hit a maximum of 14 0C
yesterday -- the highest in the past 40 years.
And they urged people not to take part in group activities or visit
populous places.
"People can contract flu when others suffering from symptoms attend
such activities and sneeze," she explained.
She said anyone feeling sick should stay home and have a good rest.
"That is good for themselves and for others who are not yet feeling
under the weather," she said.
An
expert with the Chinese Academy of Preventive Medicine said people
should drink more water and do more physical exercises to
strengthen their resistance to the disease.
People should also ventilate their rooms often so there is enough
fresh air.
Children and elderly people, among whom the incidence of flu is
relatively high, should be especially cautious.
She added people should keep themselves warm when it gets cold
because the human body's resistance to diseases weakens in cold
days.
Meanwhile, hospitals in Beijing are receiving large quantities of
people who have caught upper respiratory tract diseases, such as
colds.
(China
Daily January 5, 2002 )